1 38 SECRET HISTORY OF THE LAHORE DURBAR.
2 by both the brothers that she should be placed on the guddee
3 at the death of her son, considered her right and title as just ;
4 and though the minister had broken faith with her, she placed
5 such entire trust in Rajah Goolaub and his promises, that
6 she held full and confident hopes of ultimate success.
7 Thus now the Court was divided into two parties, each
8 breathing destruction against the other, when all of a sudden the
9 minister, apparently seeing that he alone could not stand out
10 against all the Sirdars, requested Shere Sing to desist for a while
11 from his purpose, and sending him back to his jaghire, bid him
12 wait until (as he said) he should be able to bring over all the
13 troops to his side, and thus place him upon the guddee without
14 opposition. Shere Sing, accordingly, accompanied only by a
15 small body of his own troops, was induced to leave Lahore,
16 while the minister on his part left for Jummoo, but not until he
17 had made arrangements for engaging the army and its officers
18 to side with him. The real object of this movement, evidently,
19 was that Dehan Sing and Goolaub Sing might the better
20 concert their plans, and with the greater probability of ensuring
21 success.
22 For about thirty days Dehan Sing remained at Jummoo,
23 during which time the emissaries he had left at Lahore secretly
24 to ply the Seik soldiery, had so well played their part as to
25 have received promises from the different corps that as soon
26 as the minister and Shere Sing should present themselves at
27 Lahore, they would place the latter upon the throne. These
28 promises were given on consideration that the army should
29 receive an increase of pay, together with large presents — terms
30 which only were afterwards partially fulfilled.
31 At length, when the soldiery were considered as ripe for the
32 purpose, letters were forwarded to Rajah Dehan, informing
33 him that he might now safely advance and bring Shere Sing
34 along with him to Lahore. Jewalla Sing (Shere Sing's mooktear)
35 was in the meantime intriguing with the soldiery, in order